Brian Nagele
When someone thinks of goat cheese, they think, “oh, so it’s cheese made out of goat’s milk.” Technically, they’re right, but no one says the same thing about cow’s cheese since there are so many different types.
Well, many people are unaware that there are numerous varieties of goat cheese as well.
Goat cheese is typically soft with the texture of firm cream cheese. It has a mild yet earthy flavor and goes well with herbs, spices, and jams.
If you’re looking to switch up your charcuterie board with some new, exciting flavors, then here are 11 types of goat cheese you should try.
Buche de Chevre
Buche de Chevre is an explosion of rich flavor. The French classic melts in your mouth like Brie but has a sweet and tangy flavor palette.
The aroma may smell pungent, but the cheese inside the white rind is absolutely divine in texture and taste.
The cheese goes well with fruits and sweet nuts but is famously used as a stinky cheese for quiches.
Feta Goat Cheese
While most feta cheeses come from sheep’s milk, they can also be made from goat’s milk.
Feta goat cheese is crumbly, creamy, and rich in flavor. There’s a slight bite to the taste, capturing the earthiness of goat’s milk. It’s the perfect addition to any salad, pasta, or roasted vegetable dish.
Notably, goat feta cheese is a bit higher in calories and fat than regular feta, which is widely considered a healthy cheese. If you’re watching your health, then it’s probably better to stick with the latter.
Nonetheless, it still tastes great and is a flavorful alternative to a classic cheese favorite. Use goat feta in your favorite Mediterranean dishes!
Garrotxa
Garrotxa; it’s a Spanish cheese that almost went extinct but was revived in the early 1980s and has since become an exceedingly popular choice in Spain.
Garrotxa is only a semi-soft cheese that lacks the creamy spreadability of standard goat cheese but still retains a robust earthy flavor.
This type of cheese is aged in caves for months and develops a peppery casing that keeps the cheese moist. Unlike some cheese rinds, this one is undesirable for consumption.
This variation of goat’s cheese goes well with hard bread, fruit preserves, nuts, and white wines.
Gouda Goat Cheese
Gouda is one of the most popular cheeses in the world, but did you know that it can be made out of goat’s milk?
Goat’s gouda is semi-firm, mild, and slightly sweet cheese that doesn’t impart that signature goat cheese flavor one would expect.
Instead, it’s more characteristic of cow’s cheese and suitable for people who don’t like cheese made from goat’s milk as much.
Like traditional gouda, goat’s gouda has good meltability for hot dishes but also has a place on cheese boards as a subtle yet satisfying intermissionary cheese.
Humboldt Fog
Humboldt Fog sounds like a British cheese, but it’s actually all American.
Conceived by a Californian cheese maker, Humboldt Fog is a mold-ripened soft goat cheese notable for its lightning-shaped bloom markings within the cheese.
Despite being a moldy cheese, it’s mild and light, although it does have a slight acidic bite.
This makes it pair well with sweet notes such as honey and apples and savory notes such as prosciutto.
It’s a tasty cheese that’s won multiple awards and is one of the United States’ best original cheeses.
Ticklemore
Ticklemore cheese also sounds like a British cheese, but this time because it is. Hailing from southwest England, this goat’s cheese is a pure ivory white all around.
It’s notably handmade and then salt-cured for ten weeks, which imparts some exciting flavors.
Ticklemore is a firm cheese with mild and complex notes. On the one hand, it tastes and smells plainly milky, but there are also subtle hints of earthiness and grassiness hidden within the layers of cheese.
Goat Milk Ricotta
The process of making ricotta is quite versatile as it can be made with cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, or goat’s milk.
Goat ricotta specifically has a darker texture than cow ricotta and a slightly more prominent flavor.
It’s still mild, creamy, and a tad sour, but it’s also more flavorful than ricotta from sheep or cow’s milk.
Ricotta has a wide array of uses, but it’s well known for adding rich, creamy fillings to pasta dishes and on bread with honey.
Halloumi
Halloumi is a glorious cheese made from a mix of sheep and goat’s milk.
It’s mild in flavor and smell, but it’s best known for holding firm when cooked.
This makes it one of the few kinds of cheese you can grill, fry, or bake, and it won’t melt.
Cooking is similar to cooking a piece of firm tofu, although Halloumi has a slightly more savory flavor.
The best way to enjoy Halloumi is fried until golden brown, drizzled with honey and olive oil, sprinkled with fresh mint, and squeezed with a few drops of lemon.
Caprino
Caprino is an Italian cheese made of skimmed goat’s milk and comes in two varieties: aged and fresh.
The fresh version is only aged for a few days and has a soft, creamy texture. The taste is mild, which makes infusing it with herbs, spices, and preserves a popular choice.
The aged version is aged for about 40 days and develops a salty, tangy taste.
It’s more complex than the fresh version since it has had more time to fully mature and recognize its flavor palette.
Verde Capra Cheese
Verde Capra cheese is a blue cheese made out of goat’s milk. It is soft, crumbly, and has a strong goaty aroma.
Despite being a blue cheese, it’s pretty mild in flavor, although it does have a slight tangy bite. It’s not as sharp as Stilton cheese, nor is it as creamy as Gorgonzola; it’s a nice middle ground.
Like most blue cheeses, Verde Capra goes well in dressings, dips, and fruity cheese boards. If you’re a fan of goat cheese AND blue cheese, then this one is for you.
Murcia Al Vino
And last but not least, Murcia al Vino, or Murcian wine cheese.
This fatty goat cheese has a pure white interior despite the rind being washed with wine during maturation.
It has a mild aroma and a savory, light taste. Unlike many other soft and creamy goat cheeses, Murcian wine cheese has a firmer, springier texture (similar to swiss or muenster).
As a delicious hard cheese, it works best as a snack accompanied by crackers, fruits, nuts, and wines.
Wonderful, wonderful. I am interested in making goat ,but it sounds so professional indeed I think it is. I am keeping a few dairy goats in Siaya, Kenya where I want to popularize goat rearing and consumption of their products. Please advise.